Birthday Week!

I had such a great birthday this year! It was kind of an extended birthday over a few days but don’t take that as a complaint! In a way, it started the Friday before when I got a text from Megan saying that they were in Boise for the weekend. I ended up driving out to see them and have dinner at Bier 30 in Bown’s Crossing. I had wanted to go there for awhile but never had the opportunity so I’m glad that we did- the food was delicious and their cider was great and, best of all, I got to hang out with Megan and Thad! When they arrived, Megan handed me a stuffed owl and said “Happy Birthday!” Apparently, there was a slight shop-lifting incident over at Bird’s of Prey and although it had been paid for, there was no way they were keeping the owl. It is the softest stuffed animal I have ever felt- let’s be real, I probably would have considered shop-lifting it too!

Regan came by on Sunday night for some dinner and also gave me a bottle of double-decker wine, which is perfect for a London lover like me! I had it a few days later and it was actually quite good! Just the right amount of sweetness. My actual birthday was a bit busy but not in a bad way. I skyped briefly with Mom and Abba from my phone, went to class, and then had a meeting cancelled. That allowed me to have a long lunch with Aly and Regan at Simplot. There was even a yummy dessert for birthday celebrations! Out in Boise, Lucas bought me coffee and because my meeting didn’t go too long, I got a chance to have a quick chat with Kelsey. That evening, my small group girls came over, helped me cook tacos for dinner and then sat on my couch for a little while. Aimee had grated so much cheese, the girls ate it with a spoon! (They’re ridiculous…) They even made me a huge card and we had some champagne, which was very yummy. Before I headed to bed, Abbey stopped by with some homemade banana bread and sang Happy Birthday.

I don't know why it's upside-down. Deal with it.

This is how I cook and do dishes when it's cold and I don't have to leave the house.

That weekend, I was out in Boise. After a fun game night with the C of I Faculty folk on Friday night, Bailie took me to dinner on Saturday and I took her to see Swan Lake. Dinner at Hyde Park Pub and Grill was delicious and we hdad both gotten dressed up smartly for our classy night out on the town. It wasn’t too cold so we walked from the park over to the Morrison Center and found out seats. The program waent through all of the ballet’s Ballet Idaho did that year so we perused the different ones while we waited for Swan Lake to begin. I’ve played the suite about million times but this was the first time seing it on stage. They did a fabulous job (although I have to admit I nodded off a tad bit during the second act when all the swans danced… it just got a little bit too much like the snowflakes in Nutcracker, which is my least favorite part…) and I loved the ethnic dances- Hungarian Dance, Neopolitan Dance, Spanish Dance- the best. Again, there were bits and pieces that reminded me, both musically and costume-wise, of the Nutcracker, which I’m sure isn’t a far stretch. I’m pretty excited for the ballet’s next year and I’m thinking about getting tickets for more shows- especially since I get two discounted tickets with my BSU ID. Brooke and Kevin had gotten me a bottle of wine and some awesome running socks for my birthday and on Sunday, Kevin cooked an amazing big, family breakfast with mimosas. I had a coffee date with Abbey, Jon and Bobcat at Goldy’s Corner before going to lunch with Tessa. She gave me a Keep Calm and Carry On picture that fits on my wall perfectly. Aly and I hiked Tablerock and all the calories I had burned off with the hike, I put back on with the dinner we all helped make back at the Godwins- tri-tip, homemade guacamole and homemade bruschetta, baked beans, baby peppers stuffed with goat cheese, so delicious! I slept well Sunday night!

On Monday I got a manicure, which was so relaxing and after some studying and my favorite coffee with my favorite whipped cream at Java, finished off my birthday week reading about the jungle to Abbey’s first graders. I’ve missed reading with them!

Thank you to everyone who made my 28^th birthday week so special!